Many movie fans consider director Steven Spielberg a visionary - but his most recent vision is one of doom for the movie industry.

During remarks at the University of Southern California Wednesday, Spielberg predicted the "implosion" of the film industry, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Things could get so bad, according to Spielberg, that "you're gonna have to pay $25 for the next 'Iron Man,' you're probably only going to have to pay $7 to see 'Lincoln.' "

He said the changes could come after several high-budget, high-profile film flops force the industry to be altered. "That's the big danger, and there's eventually going to be an implosion — or a big meltdown," Spielberg said. "There's going to be an implosion where three or four or maybe even a half-dozen megabudget movies are going to go crashing into the ground, and that's going to change the paradigm."

Spielberg was not alone in his estimation.

Fellow filmmaker George Lucas, on the panel with Spielberg, agreed with his assessment and said cable television is now "much more adventurous" than the movie industry. The pair both warned students that they are living in a time of great change for films and those who make them.

"The pathway to get into theaters is really getting smaller and smaller," Lucas said.

The remarks came as part of a celebration at USC for the opening of the university's School of Cinematic Arts' new Interactive Media Building.

The actors and all of Hollywood is so politically and agenda driven we hardly ever go to the movies, because most of it is trash. I won't pay $25 for the theatre, but I'd wait till the dvd comes out or ondemand. Hollywood needs to shut it with the agendas and just put out some decent movies. Michael Bay could have given some good Transformer movies, but they were too trashy to take kids to, that was sad. Give us some decent movies everyone can go to and people will go.

how about we talk about the imploding dollar and the end of America as we know it instead of hating some arabs that claim not to be arab in any way except the fact they all come from the same sand box from hell?

what is wrong here?

no real news just spin and distraction.,

a three ring circus has been created for your ignorance and viewing pleasure.,
it's called the United States governments three branches each checking the others power over corporations and
vise versa of course.,

if you want to do something productive make a plan to do away with one or more of our do nothing government workers or elected officials all of your choosing.,

I would suggest revolution or political purging of one kind or another.

Sounds like a really good idea to me. Why should I have to pay $12 a ticket to see a movie that cost $500K to make, but it's the same price to see some crap-fest that cost $500 million? Maybe it will spur more people to see good quality movies.

I wish that Mr. Spielberg would make a movie about the great generation of physicists that at the beginning of the last century discovered quantum mechanics on which all the modern civilization is based on. Without those really "beautiful" minds like Einstein, Planck, Bohr, Heisenberg or Schrodinger we would still be living in the middle ages. There should be statues of them, yet not even a movie was made about them. As a suggestion I would say that Schrodinger's life would make a great screenplay on which the movie could be centered, and from there the story could finally explain and reveal to our society how much we owe to those guys without whom there would be no computers, no iphones or not even IMAX 3D movies! I just hope that Mr. Spielberg will read this! Thank you.

No.. we wouldn't be living in the "middle ages", we would be living in the "Industrial" or "steam/diesel" age.(i.e late Victorian period) Sorry, no knights or jousting.... instead it would be trench warfare and bi-planes dogfighting.

There is no creativity anymore, everything is special effects, car chases, gun fights and remakes of old movies. What they call actors today is an insult to the industries. Is now become just mindless entertainment.

I'm bored with the Big Budget Movies. Superman is opening this weekend...I already know how it's gonna end. Who is emotionally invested with this movie. At least the smaller films contain an element of surprise. I want to be entertained...I don't need a $300 million dollar flop to do it with....After Earth.

It's easier to understand Hollywood if you think of it as an investment firm. $250 million over three years to make and market a movie seems outrageous. But if it makes half a billion, you made 33.3% a year on that investment–better than most mutual funds. It's not that you couldn't double your money by backing a cheap film, too, but people have less confidence that's going to work, and even if it does work, you haven't made as much overall.

There are a lot of reasons that Hollywood is going to implode. People have a lot of choices when it comes to how, when, and what they watch. Most people just can't see paying $10.00 a ticket to see a film in the theaters that is going to be on store shelves in three months for a few dollars more. With the economy being what it is it just makes more sense to wait for the DVD, BLU-RAY, or Netflix. Plus Hollywood is producing a lot of crappy remakes and just plain junk. I see better material on t.v. and I thought I would never say that because I am a serious movie person. You get Warm Bodies in the movies and you get The Walking Dead on AMC. Guess which one is better? You get Prometheus in the movies and Falling Skies on TNT. Guess which one impressed me more? I am not paying that much to see something that probably should not have been made in the first place.

I Disagree. I think it's just Spielberg venting because the Movie Industry is finally being held responsible for spending all their money on CG and nothing on the script. And if you think watching hours, upon hours, upon hours of a TV series, aka Soap Opera, is more desirable than a two hour movie, then you need to get a life buddy!

I know: quick spending all that money on "talkies" and go back to making silent films. And about all that fancy color - that stuff doesn't grow on trees. A simple black and white silent film will suffice.

That should satisfy all the naysayers and dweebs who have stopped going to see the "moving-pictures."

I am feeling really generous if I see 1 movie a year at the cinema. They overcharge not just tickets but concessions are exceedingly high. I agree no trained monkey (actor) is worth what they are paid and the storylines are overdone and lame. Few gems come out now.

I think ...something will happen to the movie industry. I am just another person trying to make my paycheck go further and a few years ago I saved and purchased a 61 inch HD television. I got a decent Sony 5.1 surround sound system to cover the music. With Red Box or Netflix, I was able to judge which movies I can wait to come out on DVD. People will start to ditch the theaters for waiting the months and watching a film at home. I wanted to see Gatsby and Fast and Furious this year in the theater but, I could not afford to see Fast and Furious, Star Trek, Iron Man and Gatsby.

Also, I like Spielberg and Lucas but, didn't one of them have a hand in Super 8? That movie was ok but what Spielberg knows is that his films are now in the $7 range of film making.

Well considering that Spielburg is directing the new live action Halo TV series connected with the XBox One and their cable-based offerings, it's in his vested interest to say that the film industry is going that route.

However, the success of shows like Game of Thrones, with better production values than what I've seen in the theaters in a while, he may be correct.

I don't doubt that the Hollywood "moguls" are getting nervous. New production and distribution techniques are making it possible for the Average Joe to make and distribute a movie, just like self-published books are gaining traction. There a many good indie films that don't have (or need) "stars" to be good. I think this trend is only in the early stages, and that the entrenched Hollywood bigwigs are seeing the writing on the wall.

Not really. A DSLR camera still costs plenty of money. Wages for crews, even small ones, still cost money. Locations, equipment rentals, permits, all of these still cost money. It may not be millions of dollars, but a proper indie film suitable for release in a theater rather than on the internet is still above the budget or even the kickstarter means of the average person. And Spielberg is right about the path getting tighter and tighter, even for indies. The reality of the matter is it's very expensive to make pretty much any movie other than a found-footage horror flick. That's also why many indie films are terrible and never go anywhere, they never had the money needed to make a good movie from the get go.

I concur, Get Realist. If they didn't spend gawd-awful amounts of money making these damn films, it wouldn't be so like this. The more they spend, the more they want from us as moviegoers. They're SELF IMPLODING. I haven't been to a movie at a theater in YEARS and don't plan on it.

It's outrageous that an actor gets paid $25 million per film (2-3 months of work) and that causes ticket prices to be $12 for someone who makes minimum wage.

And everytime I see a movie's credits, there are about 200 produces- producer, executive producer, assistant executive producer, co-executive producer, co-assistant executive producer. Why do they need all these producers?

The reason the industry will implode is because they are not putting out anything worth watching. Definitely not anything worth paying for. When Hollywood got involved in politics, I started taking from them. No more money from me.

Reasons for my boycott of movies? Jeneane Garofollo, Sean Penn, Mel Gibson, Bette Midler, Foo Fighters, Cher, GE, Speilberg, Etc. ....all movie investors or communists (self-admitted,) and have said that they don't want conservatives or Jews watching their shows or movies. Since 2001, when we got whacked by the middle east, these carpetbaggers listed above have denigrated the US and even encouraged the IRS to go after conservatives (Bette Midler.) I am done, DONE, DONE with Hollywood. Speilberg won't admit that it's the political pot stirring that Hollywood has done that has made me boycott them. Also, when Hollywood comes out against guns, while they've filled our theaters with violent films makes no sense. If you are against guns, then don't make violent movies with guns being used for gory entertainment. You just look like a foolish hypocrite! Hollywood will not get one dime from me.

"Speilberg won't admit that it's the political pot stirring that Hollywood has done that has made me boycott them."
- woobie

Maybe, woobie, Speilberg doesn't even know who you are, or that you're even boycotting Hollywood because of their so-called pot-stirring. Perhaps you should go over to his house unannounced and explain your reasoning. Be sure to wear your tin-foil hat; you'll be more convincing that way.

The number of REAL actors and actresses in Hollywood is tiny compared to the horde of no-talent wannabees. My guess is that there aren't 15 of the former and several thousand of the latter. And the casting is awful. Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher? You gotta be kidding!

Nermal: When Christianity got involved in politics, I stopped going to church. No more money from me...

Christianity did not get involved in politics, organized religion did. Don't punish God for the actions of greedy Mega-church pastors (modern-day Pharisees); the 99% of the (smaller) churches in America typically stay out of the political arena, try them...you might be pleasantly surprised!

With the crapola that Hollywood has been turning out since the turn of the millennia, it is a fact that the movie industry is going the way of the highway....It is finished...NOTHING but garbage is made as movies nowadays...When one leaves the movie, the best he can say about it, is that the $7-$10 bucket of popcorn was the best part of the movie!!!

Agree with Lucas and Steven....I want to go one step further...consumers will eventually pay by channel....you cannot stop progress and as consumers it will become more challenging with so much choices available....but they are right on that cable will grow and movie theaters will be the next video rental stores

Really? Who cares about the movie industry anyway? Teenagers are the biggest moviegoers and what do they know about what's good or bad. Everything goes in cycles and there's will always be a medium for story telling so please don't "warn" me about any implosions as if I could give a rat's ...

This is conditioning you to pay more at the theater....that is all this is and it is exactly what they want....more money. Don't fall for it. You wont see me pay 25 to see any movies, no matter how bad I want to. i do not go now cause it is so expensive, especially for 3D.

wel he is correct, but the cause is this, movies today are violent CRAP!, they have predictable plots, don't speak to people minds or hearts and have pretty well zero! originality, boring! dumbed down and pretty well all with the same plot lines,..When we use a term like "visionary"?, we should maybe try and ensure the person named as such has these qualities etc?,. or perhaps it is the studio,s fault?[all those self proclaimed "experts" with no talent or skills what so ever,perhaps?],,whatever,,I also predict a major crash in this medium, unitl they get some real brain power at the helm[which they so obviously don't! have now hey?],..And btw, Who writes this crap?, some 3rd grade primary school students or what?,..the diologue these days is also predictable, boring and low IQ,..Crash and burn, then rebuild from the ruins, is the most likely scenario,sad, but true,

George Lucas is a fat fool and a waste of space – he rips off Kurosawa's ripping off John Ford and makes a mediocre sc-fi movie decadse ago and he's God? WITHOUT A DOUBT, THE MOST OVERRATED HACK IN THE HISTORY OF HOLLYWOOD. Speilberg's overrated, too, but at least he keeps workig at his craft. Fat Boy Lucas is too busy OK'ing the latest Star Wars gewgaw and counting his cash. American Graffiti was his only shining moment.

It's hard to call a director with 2 movies in the AFI top 100 and a company pioneering movie special effects overrated. It's even harder to call a director with 5 movies in the top 100, including schindlers list at #8, overrated.

Funny, I didn't see you running out with your 16mm film camera trying to do better? I guess you must be too busy talking on Facebook or Twitter. What a shallow life you must lead. Say hi to Lindsay Lohan for me.

Film and television is gravitating towards the programming seen in such visionary films as "The Running Man" and "Robocop". Well, in the case of 'The Running Man', the book was more visionary than the movie, but we're headed towards people being chased by attack dogs for dollars. Headed?

I am a member of MENSA so I can say I am intelligent, but to tell you the truth, I don't like the films that 'win awards'. They usually deal with real life. I get enough of real life in the my everyday life. I go to movies to ESCAPE realism. I want fantasy and far out fiction; I want good guys to always win and the main characters to always live.

You're a member of MENSA and you still don't have the ability to figure out/realize that not all movies which win awards are based on 'real life'. Look up movies like Delicatessen and Uncle Boonmee. They are as as far as it can get from real life. There are thousands of movies which will let you escape reality and it doesn't have to be 40 yr old men in super hero suits with loads of crappy CGI.

CNN would fail journalism School for this report – they come off as hacks yet again.

ORIGINAL
‘That’s the big danger, and there’s eventually going to be an implosion — or a big meltdown. There’s going to be an implosion where three or four or maybe even a half-dozen mega-budget movies are going to go crashing into the ground, and that’s going to change the paradigm.’

The industry as it stands now primarialy count on the BIG budget movies as the financial health of the entire industry. Think of it akin to the Christmas season and how that effects the overall financial well being of the retail industry. currently smaller indie films and mid sized budget films offer nothing to the major studios or so they claim. Basically the industry is a microcosm of the current practices of most business activity in America today. The small business owners are being shut out of the game. CNN does ado a hack job on this article whereas CNBC has the full article which is a much better and gives the full contexts of his opinion.

Apparently you failed reading comprehension. The story clearly outlines what Spielberg thinks would cause a meltdown of the industry. I can't understand why people always go to entertainment sites and expect investigative journalism or when they confuse opinion pieces as news.

Apparently, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg don't watch a lot of TV.

Television is just as bad as the motion picture studios. Almost every network has been taken over by "reality TV".

How many different "talent" shows are there? How about the Real Housewives of.....(pick a city)? Just like the motion picture studios, once a network comes out with a reality show that is remotely successful in the ratings, then everyone else comes out with their own version of the exact same show. Its the TV version of "Armageddon" vs "Deep Impact".

MTV (Music Television) has shows called Reality Check, Parental Control and Girl Code. None of which are shows about music.

The History Channel has shows called Pawn Stars, Swamp People, Ice Road Truckers, and Mountain Men. None of which are shows about history.

The Discover Channel has shows called Backyard Oil, Sons of Guns, Deadliest Catch and Property Wars. None of which are shows about popular science, history or technology.

Oh, and I doubt enough people are going to pay $25 to watch a movie in theaters to make it profitable.

What a friggen fool. The industry is one of the highest grossing in the nation. If they raised the price that high, most would not pay it, they would steal it. It is already way more expensive then it is worth.

In fact the cost of complicated special effects and even background sets has plummeted because of the implementation of sophisticated CGI – obviating the need to shoot on location and/or use stunt doubles for the actors. Thus the profit margin has increased by orders of magnitude. So why the budgets that have also increased by orders of magnitude, as well as ticket prices?

Because studio fat cats are pushing the profit envelope in order to line their pockets. It's an artificial inflation imposed by these greedy execs who try to milk the public for whatever they can get.

Hey – never mind the law of supply and demand. Artificial inflation is the American Way. Evenon those rare occasions when the fat cats fail with their price gouging agendas, they get multimillion dollar golden parachutes. It's what happens in a country where regulation of giant corporations is seen as a threat to someone's "freedom."

Question for the "small government" fanatics: what's the difference between a large, unregluated government and a large, unregulated corporation?

Alan, "small government" advocates are right.You are WRONG.99.9% OF ALL MOVIES do not make the "big bucks". People under 30 are driving the mega-movie industry, which is composed mainly of video games turned.into movies Regulation was never the answer. Actually, thinking "small" is a much better bet. Movies made with low budgets, unregulated, with a big-budget appearance via computers. The future belongs to ASIA, not Hollywood, with it's job-killing unions and production costs.

stangdavid, Name one movie other then Halo: Forward unto Dawn.. that is related at all to video games....... The answer is only one and that is the Prince of Persia movie that is in filming..... other than that there is not a single video game turned movie, you want to know why, because most video games are not easily able to transfer into movies! Games like Metal Gear Solid could be considered movies in and of themselfs but that is because of the story. So next time wise up before you start spouting off things you dont have a clue about

@Nick, not that I agree with stangdavid, but calling him out for not checking his facts and spouting when you don't know your facts either is not the best way to make your point. Games that turned movies? Hmmm off the top of my head, Resident Evil, Tomb Raider, Final Fantasy, Mortal Kombat, Street FIghter, Silent Hill, and Mario Bros. I'm sure there are tons more. Try checking your facts first before calling others out next time, bro.

You are soooo spot on with teh fat cats lining their pockets. That is the major major major problem in Hollywood today. And just like anything else using that philosophy the money pot empties and so where is the new stream of revenues going to come from if people can't afford to pay? Now I don't believe in Gov't regulation especially of this industry. Healthcare and education, pretty much stuff that matters to help its citizenry then yes but not for creative artistic endeavors. TV is also making a big dent into what the movie going experience use to entail. TV especially with the cable programming excluding reality is much more daring in it's content whereas the movies are all formulaic now and pretty much that formula is getting old. Interesting that before cable entered the homes of millions, the big three networks suffered exactly what is happening to the movie industry. That being said the fat cats are too stupid to look right to the internet for its next slew of creative possibilities.

Really, Alan?! There is no difference between a big corporation and big government? Last time I checked, going to the movies was not mandated by law. No one is forcing anyone to do business with Hollywood. But we are required by law to do "business" with the government, it's called paying taxes. Your comparison is ridiculous.

If you think about it, Hollywood is not running out of ideas, it is just that Hollywood has made just about every combination theme in one way or another (so much so that the copywriters are tripping over each other trying figure out what makes a project unique enough to avoid lawsuits). Only the names and actors have been changed. When it comes to storylines it’s gone from 6 degrees of separation to 3. Hollywood knew this was going to happen quickly (over the timespan of decades) this shouldn’t surprise anyone.
Right now Science Fiction and Fantasy movies seem to be the only true creative genre where a writer has to build a world/universe from the ground up.
Yet it is inaccurate period pieces, Like Spielberg’s Lincoln that gets the awards.

They aren't running out of ideas – it's just that they only want to make movies "guaranteed" to succeed.

They figure a new idea is way more risky than a remake or a sequel, because the remake/sequel already have a "guaranteed" audience interested in seeing them. This includes movies made based on existing properties like comic books.

I would like to hear from fellow film school grads. I got my piece of paper in 2003. I do not work in film. Some may say its my fault. I work for a station group doing engineering. Back a couple months ago, we had a more film-like problem that needed to be solved. We had spent millions at one station rewiring and replacing everything in engineering to 1080p HD. We finally went live with 1080 cameras and thus the problem began. You could see every flaw and crinkle on the anchor's faces. The cameras were that good. Yes, this was predicted so they needed a solution. Some went to special estheticians while others just piled it on. I was in the studio and suggested they look at Max Factor. He invented a line of cosmetics for actors who work under the brutes in studio sound stages. The problem was solved. Now I know people who graduated and get some work here and now. Some grads move in together in cheap apartments and share the expenses. Most wind up leaving after a few months of having a $150/day job every three weeks. Getting on to the studio is next to impossible. HR at studios is closed. Its almost as bad as trying to get on at a US military base. So, yes, there are jobs, but the jobs most people leave because they are tired of grunt work.

It's hard for me to give any credibility to Spielberg's complaints when he's actively engaging in made-for-TV serialized series that are contributing to the very devaluation of theatrical movies which he's complaining about.

All of the following have Stephen Spielberg's name attached to them: Taken, The Pacific, Into the West, United States of Tara, Terra Nova, The River, Falling Skies, Smash, Under the Dome (this year), and, recently announced, his own take on Microsoft's Halo as a TV series.

Meanwhile, his recent movie credits are filled with the same type of big budget, explosion fests he's complaining about with notable exception to Lincoln. Let's examine: Transformers, Real Steel, Cowboys & Aliens, Men in Black 3, Jurassic Park 4, Super 8, so on and so forth. Lots of retreads there with nothing more than special effects to drive interest, Stephen.

The industry isn't destroying itself, just going through a metamorphosis. It's taking them time to get used to smaller budgets, bootlegger prevention, the small screen, and the prevalance of cheap indie filmmaking tools.
The industry will be fine. The megastudios and the theaters, not so much.

The mainstream U.S film industry has been in a state of flux for decades. The huge production and pre-release marketing costs are a form of high stakes gambling with very few winners and numerous losers. Add to this the highly questionable accounting practices employed by production companies, excessive up front actor salaries, fabricated reviews and a society that feeds on social media fed form versus substance it's no wonder the industry needs to rethink the business model. Are there great movies still being released? Yes. Are they mainstream? Typically, no!

It would help if they created movies worth watching. Now that pushing the envelope of what is acceptable has hit a wall, they are going to need to find new ideas and decent talent if they want to sell their films. Hollywood id full of overpaid adult brats who feel the whole world owes them something.

Come on Hollywood still makes really good movies. The Dark Knight, Star Trek, Lincoln, Argo, etc.. etc.. people just expect the best movie they have ever seen every time they go to the theatre. I mean go back the last few decades movies weren't all fantastic then either when you start thinking about it. I mean movies aren't a new thing anymore they been around about 90 years now so I would start to think you should start running ideas at some point or retry something that has been done already.
There have been a lot of great series like Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, majority of the Marvel movies have been done very well, The Bourne Trilogy, 007, Star Trek, The Dark Knight Trilogy and that's just off the top of my head so I don't know what people expect not every movie is going to be great but there is still great content coming out of Hollywood

You only think that because you were raised in this era, and haven't seen the classics or what's happening around the world in terms of film making. I'm 24 years old, so I'm no snob. I still love action movies and super heroes and all of that. But once I got into watching those other movies I realized what everyone was saying about Hollywood. The best thing I could say to you is please, what ever you do, don't get into film my friend. It will ruin the way you watch movies. Right now, you are blissfully ignorant. You still think Star Trek was a good movie. I wanted so bad to love Star Trek (huge sci fi nut). The Dark Knight was a good movie, by today's standards, I actually really enjoyed it. I own it and just watched it yesterday. But it isn't a great movie. We haven't seen one of those since the 80s. Also the Dark Knight Rises was a terrible, terrible film. I had fun with it, but couldn't appreciate it aesthetically the way I could The Dark Knight. It didn't even compare. And all the other movies you stated were just meh, again Marvel movies (I'm a Marvel geek) I enjoy for nostalgic reasons, everything else was crap besides Lincoln (haven't seen it yet but I'm looking forward to Day Lewis) and Argo, which again was good ,but not great.

It's not that people expect the best, it's just that your standards are very very low. And that's sad, because there was a time when you could go to the movie theater and watch a masterpiece like The Godfather or Rear Window or even Raging Bull. But people's expectations are so low, nobody is even trying anymore. People are happy watching Harry Potter movies. That's art nowadays. Again not everything has to be art, I'm a geek and grew up on action movies. But as I have grown into adulthood, sometimes I want to be wowed by cinematic brilliance, to be intellectually challenged, to have my mind blown. Nothing coming out of Hollywood has ever done that fore me in all the years of my life. The only time I felt that way was after watching Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (foreign), oh and the Matrix. The Matrix did that for me.

Oh I should mention Fargo. Fargo was good but I watched it only recently, not in the theaters so forgot it was more recent. The Shawshank redemption I also really enjoyed, despite all the plot holes. Big Fish was good too. Again not great, but good. One of my faves. that's about it. Paul Thomas Anderson tries. I will give him that and I appreciate him for that. But idk, there is something hollow about his movies. It just doesn't have the same effect, it's almost like he tries to hard to make art, and forgets movies should have personality as well. Same with Nolan, oooooh the Prestige was good. But his movies have no personality, they are just one big climax. And his characters are caricatures. And also his directing is just OK. But he does have something special about him. OK I'm done ranting. You want good, recent art. Try watching Pedro Almadovar, or Wong Kar Wai, or Zhang Yimou. Oh Hero was awesome too. But again, foreign. See if those guys don't blow your mind. OK really done this time.

Stevie hasn't made a good blockbuster in years. Besides that, 300 million per movie when most of it is CG and green screened is ridiculous, it doesn't cost that much. The greedy execs pocket most of the money because it certainly doesn't go to the crew or actors.

I cant see the "implosion" of the film industry anytime soon like he and Lucas so predicts since most big budget movies have been raking in the cash the last few years. I actually might be in the minority but I still enjoy going to the movies especially for the mega hyped ones. Sometimes people take it too seriously the whole movie going experience. Where I live a ticket is anywhere from $5.50 weekday matinee too which im willing to pay $10.00. I mean for an $8 and 2 2 1/2 hrs of entertainment whats the big deal. If you cant swing $8 for entertainment I recommend getting a better paying job or properly budget your money. Personally im not a big drinker, I don't have cable tv, I don't have any magazine or newspaper subscriptions so if I want to go to a movie once a week and hit up every big budget event whats the big deal?

BTW– my local library is very state of the art so that's why I don't have cable television. Every new release is available for free within 2 weeks of it being released. That includes blu-rays, television series and videogames as well.

Mike, you do not understand that spending $8 for what you think is "quality entertaimment" in 2013 is a giant rip-off. None of these movies is worth more than $1 of your money. By attending the showings you are actually helping the producers to INCREASE prices.

is that why a tube of popcorn is 12.50 and a coke is 9.00 dollars? i mean for real..i have not been to a movie in years, but i get the latest ones on DVD thru the internet before they are even released, why would i want to pay the overpriced movie and refreshments when i can watch it in my media room for free.

The reason why concessions are so high is the theatres make very little off the ticket, and to actually make a profit, they have to find something to sell with a better margin. Something like food and drinks.

You only get out of a product what you put into it. If your business model is to hire inexperienced, B level screenwriters on the cheap so they can cough up a lot of mediocre movies and you can make a few bucks, that is short term thinking and that business won't last. ..
Film making is an Art form above all things. The quality of a good film depends on exceptional actors, smart writers, excellent photographers, experienced editors etc. and most importantly, on a good stories.

The movie industry doesn't need to implode if Hollywood execs start hiring mature, experienced, talented (and well paid) professionals to turn out high quality films. Steven Spielberg is so right! The industry won't survive unless it appeals primarily to the adults and not just their kids.

As a filmmaker I can tell you that you are being very naive about the process."Exceptional actors" have less to do with film success than anytime in history. It is much more about marketing a product. Making something "cool" before it ever comes out drives big-budget movies. Have you watched any trailers on TV lately? Acting, writing, directing are way sow the list of selling points. The intelligence required to view most of these trailers is now below 6th grade level.

I have great respect for Spielberg and Lucas as artists and producers. Although I find it strange hearing the two of them predict the end of the modern motion picture industry.... given that the huge role both of them played in shaping the modern film industry.

Love it. Audience of kids who's parents just spent well over $100,000 finding out what a waste it was. Then again, they went to USC so should have known what a waste it was. I don't hire kids who went to USC for Film School. Too much theory, not enough hands on experience led to kids who couldn't keep up on set and lacked any drive. Burned enough times that I just toss those resumes out now when looking to fill entry level positions.

My father worked in the movie industry on the first talking movie The Al Jolson Story. He worked in the studios for 50 years and I was raised in the business. That was back in the day when the actors themselves could carry the movie without all the constant special effects like nowadays. Back then the studio actually had to build a movie set or make a real special effect. Now all I see is big digital effects and poor acting. I don't even go to movies anymore, TV is crap too.

This is a by-product of our instant-gratification mindset. Many people want action, excitement, visual stimulation, not a story they have to think about, pay attention to. Not everyone, of course. But those who go to the movies? By and large they fall into the first group. What movies draw the biggest crowds? Iron Man, Avengers, and the like. If that is what draws crowds, that is what film makers are going to make. Just like on TV, where when a product proves that it is popular, a dozen copycats come out of the woodwork.

The Hollywood machine wants a safe bet- that means that reboots and Marvel characters is all we are going to see for a while. We all saw this coming at least 10 years ago. We have done it to ourselves by judging good movies by the 'hotness' factor of the actors, the quality of CGI (that is way too overused), and the amount of explosions we can count. We don't care about the quality of the screenwriting, and in turn Hollywood execs turn down tons of talented scrips for the sure bet. I'd rather stick to reading.

The last movie I wasted money on was Godzilla the American version, it sucked. I have not gone to another movie since. If I want to try one I will wait for Hulu or Netflix to get them. No more jibbering idiots on celphones, or little crying rugrats etc.

Blame yourself for seeing that lousy excuse for a movie. It's not that difficult to wait a few days to see if the movie is generally receiving positive or negative reviews from both critics and the general public. Plus....the movie was an American take on Godzilla, so what were you honestly expecting? Something on par with The Shawshank Redemption perhaps? Geesh, take some responsibility for your own choices.

I wish that Mr. Spielberg would make a movie about the great generation of physicists that at the beginning of the last century discovered quantum mechanics on which all the modern civilization is based on. Without those really "beautiful" minds like Einstein, Planck, Bohr, Heisenberg or Schrodinger we would still be living in the middle ages. There should be statues of them, yet not even a movie was made about them. As a suggestion I would say that Schrodinger's life would make a great screenplay on which the movie could be centered, and from there the story could finally explain and reveal to our society how much we owe to those guys without whom there would be no computers, no iphones or even IMAX 3D movies! I just hope that Mr. Spielberg will read this! Thank you.

@MovieLover, that is a brilliant idea. The more I think about it, the more I like it. A talented movie visionary working with a great writer and director could make a compelling movie on the subject that would appeal to the masses, and even better, help inspire new generations of the next great minds. Sure, there will always be the superficial set that needs scantily clad women and explosions in every storyboard panel, but no movie appeals to everyone.

Hollywood continues to shoot itself in it's foot because they cater to the 18-24 crowd. More people love thought-provoking power dramas than they realize, yet they continue to make movie after movie about zombies, vampires and super heroes. For every "Silver Linings Playbook" or "Ya-Ya Sisterhood," there's a thousand "Saws" or "Fast and Furious" type movies. Garbage.

adults sit at home and come onto these blogs and b!tch and b!tch about how Hollywood doesn't make good movies any more. Maybe is they got teir fat asses out of the Lazyboy and actually went to the theater after their 20 year boycott, they'd find out otherwise. But no, it's easier to just sit at home and gripe about the present and lament about the past.

Hollywood makes those kind of movies because movies are about escapism, they always have been, ever since the first black and white movie with the train pulling into a station had the audience almost running out of the theatre thinking the train was actually there.

When it comes to the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and Silver Linings they made great books but for $10.00 a ticket and $20.00 for food (and that’s just for one person), who wants to see a movie about old people talking about life and drug addicts dancing. I’m sorry but not all good books make good movies.

Hollywood is about escapism, the average movie goers want to see subjects that can’t happen in our current reality or even could but, for the horror crowd, would be so horrible that they would only want to see it faked on a movie screen than to have it happen in real life. That is what Hollywood is for.

You know, the comments here are amusing. In summary: Creativity is drastically diminished in films for the mass market AND millions pay hefty prices to view the pedestrian end products. The elephant in the room is the motive to fund and pay for a product that is so lacking in creative content (quality). Or is it perhaps that commercial film today is what it was always intended to be: a pastime for the masses, like sports. Its metroplexes like sports arenas–or Cathedrals–where the masses come to spend social time communing with something that isn't quite there, something manufactured in the imagination, something harder to quantify with money–and therefore wildly mis-valued, mis-priced. And like sports–and other religions–immune to rational scrutiny, with an uncanny exception given to times of dire economic times, and then with only a passing nod to rational thinking. Like capitalism, itself, commercial film making evolves in cyclical manners, each cycle a refashioning of itself in relation to material conditions, consumption patterns, and ongoing manufacturing of desire.

Economically speaking, that's a potential problem. Movies is one of the few sectors where America still dominates the market. Otherwise... I could not care less how much a movie ticket costs or what happens to the film industry, because most of the big budget movies are derivative junk that does little for your imagination anyway, and a good book keeps me entertained longer for less. And for those who are not into books, video games are a better value than movies...

I for one doesn't watch the new movies. I do like Mr Steven Spielburg's movies, such as Cheandler's list, War horse, and other movies he has made. I prefer to watch T M C movies to what they are playing nowadays.

I wish that Mr. Spielberg would make a movie about the great generation of physicists that at the beginning of the last century discovered quantum mechanics on which all the modern civilization is based on. Without those really "beautiful" minds like Einstein, Planck, Bohr, Heisenberg or Schrodinger we would still be living in the middle ages. There should be statues of them, yet not even a movie was made about them. As a suggestion I would say that Schrodinger's life would make a great screenplay on which the movie could be centered, and from there the story could finally explain and reveal to our society how much we owe to those guys without whom there would be no computers, no iphones or even IMAX 3D movies! I just hope that Mr. Spielberg will read this! Thank you.

So the people who have been deciding 'what people want' and how much to spend making those movies that 'people want' have been WRONG ALL THIS TIME? Say it isnt so!! You mean theyve been lining their own pockets with budget money?Nepotistically hiring their 'cronies' to keep the money in the family? WOW big SURPRISE ! Well we all know what happens to groups of people who think they can pull the fast one off on the rest of us......

I hope that the implosion DOES happen and all the theaters go BUST! With a large HDTV screen at home, I'd rather the movies go straight to Blueray now, so I don't have to sit and listen to Sneezy, Grumpy, Dopey, Texty, Farty, Stinky, and Fatso. I can sit in my lazyboy, eat and drink anything I want, and not have to dish out a hundred bucks just for an uncomfortable chair, a stupid bucket of popcorn, and a cup filled with ice and a little bit of coke.

On another note, why can't the theaters here be like the VIP theaters in Panama? Now THAT would be cool!

I'd suggest that theaters change their model, the Alamo Drafthouse and Violet Crown are both excellent places to view a movie. The Alamo Drafthouse has really good food and excellent selection of booze ranging from good wine to craft brews. The Violet Crown has big puffy recliners in the theaters and the foot selection is borderline gourmet. Check out drafthouse(DOT)com and violetcrowncinema(DOT)com

Having said that, I do not like that I have to wait 9 months before the movie is released on DVD or streaming. That is a terrible model and only restricts revenue in my opinion.

Well, huge Flat screen T.V. loving dude! not dealing with all those annoying patrons is not the only thing you'll be avoid – you'll also be able to avoid GROWING UP. Yes, getting along with your fellow man is one of the challenges of life and one of those irritating things technology is helping us "avoid". Imagine looking around yourself and realzing the world doesn't revolve around you – OUCH! PAIN! And if you feel lonely in your self-imposed exile that's Nature's way of slapping you on the hand and saying "grow up little boy. you're not the only child on the playground".

Yeah, the change is definitely needed at the theaters. We were in Panama on vacation and went to a VIP theater there, and had steak dinner, beer, mixed drinks (full bar service), served to you inside the theater! The recliner was a very wide body leather lazyboy type with a swing table on the armrest end, and a service call button. THAT is the way to go!

@ Paul: Considering that I'm probably much older than you (well over 50), I say that I've done enough "growing" having to put up with little brats like you, who annoy the hell out of the rest of us while we try to watch the movie. So yeah, I say I've earned my right to pay and keep people just like you the hell away from me!

When you are paying actors $20,000,000 dollars to do a movie, no wonder they cost so much to produce. If you have a film that has a couple of A List actors that could be half your budget right there in payroll!!

As someone pointed out on a post in another thread, supply and demand always even out. If there is less money coming in from movies, they will be made cheaper, the actors and production will get paid less, or they will find new methods of making more money.

My heart bleeds for those poor content producers who aren't making megamillions off their poorly written hackneyed recycled garbage.
Accept reality.
Make better stuff, find a way to profit, or go into another business.

Any Horror fan will tell you that Hollywood has been making lousy films for years – look to small Independent films and foreign films for true entertainment value...smart use of smaller budgets and no name actors. It's still pure and it's art.

Hidden inside of his comments is the solution to Hollywood's revenue problem...ticket prices need to be tiered out based on the cost of the movie. There are plenty of movies that I would love to see in the movie theater, but I can not justify the cost. I end up only going to the movies 3-5 times a year with the kids to see movies that "justify" the cost. These always end up being 100 million dollar blockbusters. That makes me part of the problem, but we need Hollywood and the movie theaters to help us be part of the solution. Just a thought.

Red box is $1.50 for a 1080P bluray. My Home Theatre sounds 10X better than most (maybe any) movie houses. There is no line to the bathroom, popcorn does not cost $8 for a cup and NO CELL PHONES allowed. I hasten to mention that my feet do not stick to the floor in my house, and excessive talking gets you booted. I do not go to the movies ANY MORE. The experience sux, even if it's a great movie. The implosion is overdue. We, the people of the US took it on the chin over the last 6 years. Why not a similar "correction" for the movie industry? Maybe they will learn something new?

And it is the box office receipts that let you pay $1.50 at Redbox. If good movies become fiscal disasters at the box office they won't make it to Redbox-which means you just invested $10k in a home theatre that you'll be watching old cartoons and infomercials in.

Since Hollywood is a private sector industry – I fail to see what US foreign and military aid has to do with it. The entire foreign affairs budget of this country – including military aid – amounts to less than 2% of the federal budget.

I agree, a lot of people have made outrageous amounts of money from this industry. If they aren't making movies people want to see and are now losing money, they need to make necessary pay cuts and improve their product and efficiency just like every other industry.

It's called rope bro. they've given them so much that they are hanging themselves. Isn't that what Mr. Spielberg is really saying? Of all the movies my wife and I watch, the ones we like most are those without the huge budgets but have good plots and excellent acting. Overdone expensive LOUD special effects get dull really fast. It is like listening to loud music. It makes you deaf eventually.

He is wrong on so many levels. The majority of people are leaving cable, movies have become more popular than ever. Just because a lot of money has been thrown at movies that flop just means the industry is judging the pulse of what's popular incorrectly. There are people young and old dumping cable subscriptions for streaming or pay as you go solutions. Where he sees a negative a lot of others see a positive in that digital cameras are enabling new producers/artists/writers to roll their own movies and make a bundle. We are on the brink of a new age of film, Steven needs to get off his high horse.

Spielberg was referring to small tv networks like AMC, Bravo and A&E, not cable itself (or the big 4 broadcast nets ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX) . Virtually all of the smaller nets are accessible without a cable subscription.

Nonetheless, his comments about having to pay $25 for something like Iron Man vs. a mere $7 for more intellectual/artistic fare like his own Lincoln, suggests a bit of resentment and disdain on his part for big budget studios and the general movie going public.

The motion picture industry also has to take a very serious look at something else right now and not just the almighty dollar they can make. They need to start paying Extras their fair share! For much too long a time extras have been getting the short end of the stick by working very long hours for very short pay and many times lousy conditions. This has certainly got to Stop. The motion picture industry clearly has the money to pay those who are the Important Background to their movies! But when you hear of an extra working for ten hours a day or more for a little more than $7.00 an hour, that is not only Ridiculous but truly Sad. They need to unionize for better wages! There Needs To Be A Revolution To Fix that Immediately!

You must be kidding.
Extras are a dime a dozen, it's unskilled work and almost any idiot can do it.
Don't want to get paid to be in a movie and be around movie stars? Go get an education and get a real job.

Amen to that! I'm so glad you brought that up and I'm in agreement with all you've said! I have worked in several major production Hollywood films and have been grossly Underpaid often working under sub-standard conditions. I can remember one time being served on the set a salad that wasn't fit to be thrown into a pig's pen. The rest of the food made me sick. I was paid only about $60.00 for an 8-10 hour day. Sometimes the pay went to $75.00 with other projects but the bottom line was severely deficient in good common sense and pragmatism regarding pay. Actors are actors whether they are top-billed stars or extras. They all act and while top movie stars get a great percentage besides a commanding salary the extras don't even get chickenfeed! That has GOT to change, so Bring On the Revolution! Let's get that changed so that our work will be equitable with ample pay!

Why would that bother you so much, Sheila and Chris? Have either of you ever worked in a motion picture? I bet not. If you had you would realize that despite the illusion of grandeur it is very hard work! There are even special schools now for it. I can remember being in a scene where a huge fan was blowing wood chips into the face of the extras in an all-night scene. That was definitely not fun for such little pay and health risks and we were not told about it beforehand. So, don't go spouting off about something you don't know or understand about. Work in the industry for a while and you'll get to know what I am talking about. Extras Deserve Much Better Pay for their work! Why? Because Hollywood Can Well Afford It!

Everyone can plainly see that Chis, Sheila and Dangling dingleberry have never ever worked in even one major motion picture and that is why it is eating them up with vile anger, rage, and jealousy. Their lack of intelligence plainly shows it. Without a doubt, I bet they couldn't even get that type of work if they tried!

I have worked as an extra in only one film but I can tell you that what Another important issue is saying is right! When I reported to the set I wasn't given any type of script or anything beforehand so extras do not know what is going to happen or how they will be used that day or night. It's obvious that Another Important is just trying to convey what goes on in that industry that is seldom talked about but needs to be. Those who leave sour comments no doubt live sour lives themselves with nothing else to do but spew forth their acrimony and hate on things they don't truly understand.

Sarah and Randy, working as an extra on a movie set is a job that many people want and many people can do. That's why you get paid so little for the work and have long hours. So once again, if the conditions are so horrible, no one is forcing you to stay. You also have job options that pay much more.

Of course there are other jobs out there, Buck, that I or Randy as well as many others who sometimes work as extras can do. But you lose sight of the fact that that is not the issue here. What is the issue is the inequity in pay for extras! And you will never understand that unless you have worked a day in our shoes. This is a matter that I'm sure many extras think about especially those who work more often. It needs to be addressed soon as we like working in that field. Personally, it is in my blood, but why should one have to work under such bad pay conditions? That's just it, they shouldn't. This is not China or India or some other place. We should be able to enjoy the work we do and get paid adequately for it. That just isn't happening right now. This also has to do with artistic endeavor and pride of which you may know little of. When an actor wants to work they feel they should be paid fair wage, what could be more fair than that. To jump to something else work-wise just to avoid bringing attention to this issue may be the quick route or way out you would take but not that of many others including myself. That's why we fight for justice to this situation!

First, let me just say that it's quite obvious you are the same person posting under different handles so don't think you're being clever. Next, I'd just like to point out that you just don't seem to get the point here in why people are responding to you so negatively. You choose to be an extra. You choose to accept the lousy pay. If it was so horrible and unfair, no one would do the work. And yet, there's a long line of people wanting to be extras on a movie set. Why is that? Because people like you are looking for their big break and getting a better role. That's great you're working on your dream job. Many people can't do that and take on jobs they aren't happy with....BUT they at least get paid better than $7 an hour. So unfortunately for you, you'll receive no sympathy here nor do you deserve it.

You are an obvious idiot, Buck, with your cheap theories and speaking out of obvious jealousy on things you don't understand and have never been involved with. You're not only a hater but a loser. I do feel sorry for you though to have come down to a poor excuse for a person like this.

"You are an obvious idiot, Buck, with your cheap theories and speaking out of obvious jealousy on things you don't understand and have never been involved with. You're not only a hater but a loser. I do feel sorry for you though to have come down to a poor excuse for a person like this" I'm the hater? Your comment reads like one big childish temper tantrum. Now that being said, I'd love you to explain to me how anything I said can be labeled as a cheap theory. Everything I said was true. Furthermore, I did not post my comments out of hate or jealousy. I posted my comments because I simply get annoyed when someone whines about a situation in which they have the ability to fix. So yeah, it's extremely hard work being an extra. But if it's THAT bad, as I already pointed out, there's plenty of other professions you can explore.

And just before the crash, movie goers will be blamed for not taking personal responsibility by the Tea Party, Limbaugh will blame Michael J. Fox, Moyers will blame big money interests, pundits will be pleased that we are having a conversation, the left will demand a bail out, and – behind the scenes – lobbyists will convince the Fed that the movie industry is too big to fail. By this time, some billionaire from Bollywood will have bought all the studios and moved production to India.

The death to the movie industry is the constant remake of everything that has ever had a second of spotlight. Name one original movie that has done anything in the past 6mnths. The want ad should read "Original thoughts needed". The small network TV series are doing well, that's were the talent lays. This constant pandering to the lowest common denominator has to end. Its not an art form anymore it a joke.

Excellent points. All you see now are reboots which I don't mind in and of itself, except, the scripts are literally duplicates of the films they are trying to reboot. Annoys me to know end, I think you can reboot a franchise, Superman for example, without using the same script as the original Christopher Reeve / Marlon Brando version. I mean, every one knows where Superman came from and how he got here.

Their is original material out there, but studios are afraid that original material won't appeal to enough people as a mindless reboot will. Have you been to a theater on a Saturday night? Where is everyone going? Into the mindless reboots with a huge tub of popcorn. If people stop seeing them, then maybe original movies will come back and we can have the 1970s movie experience all over again.

Agree with so many here. Movies flop because they suck. Even idiots get bored of the same retreaded action movie - despite 3D and well-overdone CGI effects. Studios should stop focus-grouping everything and make real art.

I agree with some of the comments already stated but my biggest concern is with the constant stream of remakes of films. I sincerely believe that it is the result of timidity and cowardice. Nobody wants to venture their money on a completely new concept or idea. It might not work. It also might be the greatest story ever told and the biggest thing since.... I don't know....... Star Wars....... An Affair to Remember........... Gone With The Wind. If the directors and script writers and producers would take a chance, maybe we movie-goers – or as the case is more likely – ex-movie-goers might get to see the greatest movie ever made......... or at least something close. Just an opinion.

Two solutions: 1. Stop paying actors millions of dollars, despite what the media says they're not that special and the work is not that hard. Try being a caregiver wiping old people's butts or working in a factory shoveling coal all day.

2. Make good movies that won't flop? Of course this entails not treating your customers like mindless lemmings that will pay to see anything flashy.

I'm looking forward to this implosion. For over a century the way the film industry operates has, for the most part, remained unchanged. It has become a bloated behemoth full of ugly, ugly people with one or no skills trying to carve themselves a slice of this multi-billion dollar pie.

The result of an implosion would be that there is less room for someone motivated by pure greed to backstab his or her way into a highly-paid position as a producer or an executive. When the dust settles, it will become painfully clear that the most indispensable people in the filmmaking process are those who actually know how to make films.

There are two things that Mr Spielberg did not address that are at play with a huge demographic. 1) Alot of the movies are retreads and folks are sick of that after awhile. There are very few groundbreaking films all-the-while, the movie budgets are huge. 2) politics! Alot of people are sick of paying big prices at the theatres to only see a portion of their hard earned money to land in the pockets of big mouthed Actors and Actresses. The Hollywood Lobby has done alot of this to themselves and thus we will see them implode. Add to these reasons, the ones Mr. Speilberg and friends are espousing and you get the whole truth.....not just the narrative they want you to hear.

I've had the same movie passes for months now because I can't bring myself to go see anything worthwhile at the movies. I prefer to stay home and watch Netflix. They have a very extensive archive of Foreign Films that are often overlooked in Hollywood. I find most of these films don't have any CGI on steroids, and yet, they're engaging because they're based on simple stories about people, and as one previous commenter mentioned, "The human condition." (And yes, I am well over 21.)_

Horrible .. maybe actors will actually start getting paid what they are actually worth .. instead of 20 mil for a movie that makes 5 mil. ... Julia Roberts (no talent ... last good movie was Pretty WOman)... When close your blockbuster and hollywood video .. and only can get movies thru Red box or Net flix .. of course Hollywood is losing money ... But it would help if they actually started making GOOD movies again .. I don't need another remake of a movie from 30 years ago ... Original Ideas would be nice

And when they do crash, they will blame the internet and pirating. Not realizing that their business model simply can not work as-is any longer. However they will try to get laws passed to force us to watch their movies or some dumb stuff like that, rather that trying to change their paradigm.

Exactly. they had an opportunity a year or two ago to make a halo film but then they dismissed it. i guess they thought it was better to make another freaking step up movie and fast and the furious. the film, "idiocracy" may be more accurate about the depiction of our future than we first thought it was.

Gee, who was it who launched Hollywood on a 30-year quest for gigantic action-oriented summer blockbusters? Here are some clues: Jaws, Jaws II and III and IV, Close Encounters, Raiders of the Lost Ark and II and II, ET, War of the Worlds, Jurassic Park and II and III....

Hi, My name is Dane Stocker, Im looking for a job production in the hollywood movies if you need help for job opportunity and full time work, Thank you Steven Spielberg. Never know that happen for me. Yes you can!. My life is mystery star. Good Luck! Dane Michael

For all the people whining about movies, here is the movie audience test:

Question 1:
Are you over 21?

If you answer Yes to this test, then they are not making or targeting moves for you. Any movie you see is just a bonus. They make movies for teenagers. Why do they keep making remakes? Because teenagers haven't seen them yet. Why is it the same story line? Because teenagers don't care. Teenagers don't care how awesome the living room TV is. They can't take their date to the living room to watch a movie.

He was right. What he didn't say that Iron Man 3 was a very crappy movie. Most people don't realize the industry has been on the decline. Even with a bunch of good movies from last year, it was not a great year for the industry in terms of revenue. If you have any doubt, check the movie discount that are part of the promotion to sell Blu-rays and DVD's. We got $8 to watch Fast & Furious 6, $8 to watch Hangover3, $10 to watch White House Down (6/23), and there are tons of movie voucher/discounts that will last thru the entire year. I've been watching the movies for free all year.

I'm sick and tired of "Planet of the Special Effects" movies. Movies like Casablanca or High Noon couldn't be made today because there are no thrills, chills, or special effects – just insight into the human condition.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I will admit I am a senior citizen but what the hell ever happened to movies like "High Noon", "Casablanca", "To Kill A Mockingbird"? How about some good comedies like "Best Friends" or Four Seasons" ? It seems like if todays movie goers can't get OD'd on ridiculous special effects then the movie was lame. Give me a movie with a mature plot that requires some thought and also elicits some emotions any day. If you want to see exploding skyscrapers go to the arcade. Almost all of todays major releases suck. How many movies can you remake about a bunch of clowns getting drunk in Las Vegas? Pulllleeeeeze! I can't get past the trailers.

Plenty of movies are made without "Planet of the Special Effects." You just need to look beyond the "blockbusters" and even more so, beyond Hollywood in general. There are many, many independent and/or foreign films being made that address the human condition without special effects.

You remind me of the people who complain 'good music' isn't made anymore. They need to try to find it, not wait for it to be fed to them.

Its interesting to see these comments out of two directors that have done so much to turn movies into effects driven action fests. Despite his early success, Lucas has put out some real junk in the last 10 years, Red Tails was a story that needed to be told, but maybe in a way that wasn't geared towards 8 year olds would have been better. Spielberg has taken the art of gruesome, senseless deaths on the big screen to new heights.
Hollywood will make more character driven, story oriented stories when audiences demand it. As far as ticket prices and budgets, that's the fault of our culture that puts actors on a pedestal to a point that they earn for one movie more than most of the crew of the movie combined. They are really the last link in the chain, but they get all of the credit. If writers were paid as well as actors, we'd probably see much better movies.

With that exception, of course we are. We continue to pay higher and higher ticket prices for effects-driven junk. If we didn't go see them, they wouldn't make them. SImple as that. You're just blaming the messenger.

I can laugh at Howard the Duck because it is sooo bad, and that makes it entertaining in some ways. Willow is one of my favorite movies from childhood. But Indiana Jones 4 and the star wars prequels were like watching the home you grew up in being bulldozed to the ground.

Who is this "Hollywood" you and all the other whiners are complaining about? It's regular people. There are a hundred thousand scripts that come through the pipeline, Patty, and what we see is what they pick because people have a track record of seeing similar things. They go with what works because there is so much money involved. It's not the fault of this thing you refer to as "Hollywood," that thing is simply responding to the marketplace. What you apparently want to see is not what the masses want to see. That's why there are so many inane mega-budget super hero movies still being made and a lot more to come - paying people are paying to see them. Besides, as screenplays are written by people who put their pants on one leg at a time, just like you and me, instead of whining, why not write this new movie you're crying about?

I haven't yet decided if I'm going to see Man of Steel tomorrow night. The crowds. Little kids. Screaming babies. Ghetto people talking during the movie. I think the last good movie I saw was Life of Pi. I waited a month to see it and saw the noon showing. There were 5 people in the theater.

What will save Hollywood is when big budget movies become 100% available at the time of release by Netflix, Amazon or your ISP. There are many movies I would like to see, but going to the movies when you have kids is a major chore. But if say Lincoln, were available so I could watch it the week it came out on my TV I might do it. Even if it costs $25 or $30. That is the price I would pay in a theater and the popcorn is cheaper. Now, I just wait till they come out for $4.99. Plus people in theaters today are very obnoxious and ruin the experience, my home theater is just as good and the popcorn doesn't cost $6.

Pity most movies are only worth 20% of that... Most things have already been told, most retellings are lame, and trying to say anything new might – gasp – be controversial and we simply can't have that, regardless of how mature any concept is brought to the table. We all have to be good little puppy lapdogs, yes?

Why can't actors take a pay cut? Or studios, since the amount of money most of them get is legitimately overrated – hey, if we can reduce the value of STEM profession fields, acting – professional lying to sell a fake image – surely should not be immune?

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that a GOOD movie doesn't require big names and therefore smaller budgets.
There is no way I'm going to see "AFTER EARTH", its a stupid storyline and it cost a fortune because of Will smith and his kid.
Once these "Stars" realize they are getting fewer and fewer calls to work they will start working for less.

The plot is trite and isn't a great retelling. The direction, at least what was in the trailer, was bland. I've seen Will Smith in other movies and he's a good dramatic actor, but I go to movies to see the plot and direction. Good actors help to an extent, but I don't follow a movie just because a certain actor is in it. Most people get out of that phase, going to a movie just to lust over a lead, in their teens.

Brad, I agree. I think Spielberg and Lucas are full of themselves. Hollywood will simply reinvent itself. It's always been this way. Hollywood goes through fads. Presently, it is on the Marvel Comics bandwagon. Then, the tide will turn, and movie-goers will see the next big thing. For better or for worse, Hollywood will always survive. And, as some have pointed out, Mr. Speilberg and Mr. Lucas should be challenging themselves to find that next big thing.

Many moviegoes have long known that the 100 million dollar movie that costs 100 million more to promote isn't necessarily any better than the movie that cost 7 million that spread by word of mouth. In fact, it's almost a given that the big budget movie won't be as good. And yet, someone keeps funding these turkeys.

A lot of movies are made by independents each year and most never get national theater distribution so it's not as simple as saying, 'make better movies'. The question is who decides what movies get into the theater?

The industry used to turn out great movies prior to these budget explosions. If you go back to 1983, Ghostbusters $31,000,000.00 budget. Beverly hills Cop $15,000,000.00 even the sequel was only $20,000,000.

Budgets starting going up with T2. When they spent $100,000,000 to make that film, and it made huge money studios got comfortable spending $100,000,000 on projects. Then we Jim carrey got $20 mil a pictures everyone demanded it, so salaries go up budget goes up.

Funny thing is almost all of my favorite new films had a budget of under $25 mil, and I enjoy the hell out of them. Most of the big budget blockbusters I walk in and feel blah, although I did enjoy IM3

Smith – $80 mil is no where near what is being spent on a big blockbusters today, sooooo yeah, if you could go ahead and actually think things out before you post, that would be great, yeah, mmkay, thanks a bunch

It is amazing how bad movies are these days. For every 10 I rent through Amazon I may get 2 I enjoyed and the other 8 I cant even get through or I only watch because I paid for it. It also seems like unless you live in metropolitan areas all the movies that turn out to be good are small budget and get no screen time in your average town.

The early film giants got caught up in the trap of success. They used their imaginations beyond what the technology was really capable of but did it anyway. Now that they have the tech to do anything, their imagination is gone and they have no motivation to pioneer better stories. H-wood is too inbred...that is their problem.

You have to look at where they get their money from, banks and corporations. If the movie doesn't look like it will have a huge return on investment or at least the ability to pay off the loan with interest, it's not going to happen.

For all the people moaning about original stories...the reason there are none is because there is no money to be made with them. They can cash in on Iron Man X and make some money, or make Caring man 1 that no one will see. They aim movies at 13 year old boys because those are the people that pay the most for movies. I am 37 and it saddens me, but its true. They have the time and money to waste. Me, I need to wait for it on DVD.

On a second note, supply and demand works. If the costs get so high that people stop going, movies will get cheaper and less spectacular for special effects. The movie industry will not die, people crave media and entertainment.

Agreed. I am shocked at how popular some of these films are. I was literally bored to death with the new Star Trek film (and I like summer blockbusters), Iron Man 3 made what should have been a fatal mistake by replacing an interesting and surprisingly menacing antagonist with... who again? Oh, right- some guy Stark ignored some years earlier. Snooze. Avatar gets an 83% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes despite having effects that are so bad it makes you think you are watching a Pixar movie, and not to mention the incredibly unoriginal concept (Dances with Wolves, meet Fern Gully). And Prometheus was one of the worst films I have ever seen. Ever. In fact, after being obsessed with film for over 20 years, it was the ONLY film that actually made me regret that I saw it. Yet, they're all popular. We have retarded moviegoers who can't sit still for more than 90 minutes without getting bored if there's no explosions on screen, and who can't keep quiet for more than 2 minutes at a time. Actually, it's no wonder why movies are so bad. If they make you think, then you have to pay attention, but who has the attention-span for that anymore? I could be on Twitter complaining how movie theaters keep the auditoriums so dark that you can't even see the keypad on your Blackberry!

It's because the producers often get in the way and ruin movies, plain and simple. You see things like 'Iron Man 1' and then 'Iron Man 2' and you realize someone really went in with their egos and idiocy and RUINED a perfectly awesome and very lucrative franchise.

Simple solution to the industry: stop making "blockbuster" big budget movies that suck. Try using a little imagination instead of showing us stuff we have already seen. Adding 3D or a bunch of CGI does not a hit movie make. You need to use your noodle more than that. . .

Spielberg didn't "introduce" us to CGI in Jurassic Park- the tool existed long before that. Jurassic Park wasn't even the first film to feature digital animals. Jurassic Park simply made CGI mainstream due to the sheer number of digital shots required and the exposure that the film received in theaters. No, what is causing the film industry to explode is the lack of decent scriptwriting talent and the explosion of "superstar" directors. Not that we shouldn't honor directors (it takes talent and skill to make a feature film), but modern directors seem more concerned finding interesting shots as opposed to telling a story. It's not just the screenwriter that tells the story- film is a visual medium after all.

I can't remember the last time I saw a good movie. NO creativity left in Hollywood, just spending on boobs and bombs to try and make a boring plot interesting. The deserve to crash and burn – without stunt coordinators there to protect them.

Hollywood suits are obsessed with making remakes or sequels. Occasionally a new film with new ideas gets done but most of Hollywood movies are crap. I refuse to pay $12-$13 to see their product. I haven't seen a film in a theatre since the year Jeff Bridges won the Oscar. His film was the last film I saw in a theatre. Now I wait for HBO to air any movies I may be interested in.

Problem is that I rather watch cable shows (Game of Thrones, etc) than watch any hollywood movie lately. Years ago, my family would go out to the movies at least once a month. Now, it's comething like 1 every 3 months we may go out. By that time, I just wait for the dvd release.

All films showing and using guns will have a $10 violent content surcharge. The film will be rated X-G for "gun violence." The money will be given to law enforcement programs in Chicago, California and New York. A brave, new world we will have!

The money for studios is now is in foreign distribution and foreigners are not interested in seeing well done dramas about America. they are interested in over the top special effects, a la Iron Man etc. Those kinds of movies will be the norm for the studios because they will recover their costs overseas, not in the US. The studio system can't support small budget movies because they have lost the DVD money stream. That was their golden goose, and it has been cooked.

Small budget movies will be made by people with their friends and cheap HD cameras and even cell phones. They will be good movies, but distribution will be via routes such as youtube, not the studios.

I'm in my 50's and found it hard to find a movie I want to see. Many of the great movies made do with a good story, good cast and good acting. I wonder what the P/L looked like for MoneyBall with Brad Pitt. No special effects – just a good story and good acting.

In all honesty, this is the best thing for the film industry. Take this into consideration, people don't always go for the glitz and glammer of 3D or cool visual effects, they go for the substance (albeit sometimes a load of dog poo). If you look at "The Purge" it has made a huge profit and was only made for $3mil. You don't need $160-$200 mil to make an OK movie. In most cases only need $15mil to make a fantastic movie like Lincoln.

Agreed Shawn, I watched the first hr of Prometheus and after the dork took off his helmet and the two dorks looked at the alien swimming in the goo and smiled instead of ran away.., I gave up.. Ridley must have phoned it in.. Bad call, bad movie, great idea.. L~

Why would anyone go to a movie, when you can watch them at home on a nice HDTV, and not have to deal with all the crods and overprices snacks?
Maybe a killer 3-D movie could get me to go to the theatre but thats about it.

With big screen TVs becoming more affordable and omnipresent, you can get the Theater experience right in your own home. Snacks and sodas (and you can pause it at any time!) are cheaper too. It would have to be a really big event to get me to shell out more than $10 (each) for one movie when I can get dozens and dozens per month for $10 for the whole family.

Ummm, if I went to the theater and I wanted to see Iron Man and the ticket was $25 dollars and the ticket for Lincoln was $7 I would just buy the ticket for Lincoln and walk into the screen for Iron Man. duhhhhh....

Gone With the Wind, Star Wars, Jaws were all successes and calculated to "today's dollar" are near or at the top grossing film list. Fans saw these movies over and over again. NOW, with movies at 10, 15 or 20 bucks, they see it once and some are STILL making it to the top of the list. Yes, it's more expensive now. But if the price was reasonable, the public will see their films multple times and the studios and theaters will make the money. But dont make Cowboys and Aliens or John Carter or a movie with Affleck acting and waste your profits on garbage.

Lessons Hollywood can learn from Mr. Spielberg and Mr. Lucas:
1) You can't buy your way to a blockbuster movie.
2) Despite what video games may indicate, the story is still more important than the graphics and special effects
3) Don't assume higher ticket prices will help you. It simply means we're less likely to go.

After the ABOMINATION that was the last Indiana Jones movie (South Park nailed it) I don't think anyone should be listening to Spielberg anymore. He is an out-of-touch has-been sliding into irrelevance, and is bitter about it.

Hollywoods days as the nexus of film are numbered, for sure. Their monopoly on production, and obviously distribution, is ending fast.

@Shawn I – spoken like a true arm chair ignoramus who has never worked in the biz before. One bomb over 100M can tank an entire year's worth of financials – there is a thing call international marketing funds and distribution. The costs are more than what they make very often, hence the paradign of which the master speaks. You need to go back to your little armchair throne and go back to your indulged fantasy world where you know everything ,yet absolutely nothing at all.

Exactly. Much like the issue with big-budget "AAA" games in the video game industry. An endless series of focus-tested, pandering, overly generalized snooze-fests are doing more to club the industry into submission than any other practice.

People like Zombie flicks? Put a zombie in EVERYTHING... zombie romcoms, zombie action, zombie PG-13 "action", zombie blockbuster... until the whole things becomes painfully stale. People like CGI? Avatar, Life of Pi, WWZ, etc... etc... until we breath a sigh of relief just to see a real human on screen.

@shutupshawn – You're absolutely right that Shawn fails to understand how *easy* it is to *lose* money in the movie business. So you could actually explain why that is, and how it factors into the absurd prices the consumer pays. But instead you launch into a completely unhelpful rant whose main goal is to a) tear down this random bro you've never met and b) prove what a Hollywood big-shot you are. Which probably explains why movies have just kept sucking more and more: they're made by insecure coked-up weenises.

And Shawn is correct about that underlying fact: by and large, Hollywood movies haven't been any good in DECADES. The only thing that gets made anymore is plastick-y looking fascist propaganda aimed at 12-year-old boys (or more importantly, aimed at keeping the rest of us at the level of 12-year-old boys). Ironically, Spielberg and Lucas led the way for that current paradigm, albeit with more talent. Maybe if all the hacks who produce this stuff went bankrupt, it would make room for some real filmmakers again. That, after all, was the context they first stepped into, in the 60s...a lot of expensive bombs had devastated the industry then, too.

P.S. What's with the schizo caps comments all over this page? Guess all the NSA hype is bringing the wackos out of the woodwork.

I believe we are seeing the death of the tentpole film as a slate strategy. Slapping together 5 or 6 "tentpoles" a year is just unsustainable (if quality matters). It is not the death of cinema – but smaller movies will once again have a seat at the table...

I would have to concur. Small films in small theaters will be the new norm going forward. Some of my favorite movies are small, low-budget affairs shown in out of the way theaters and sometimes straight to DVD. Funny you should mention "tent-pole," because I was at one of these theaters just the other day, watching an artsy, sans-clothing indie film and I had quite a "tent-pole" myself. If you get a tent-pole at the movies, then it's a good film.